September 24, 2007
Morning Roundup: Sad and Sadder Edition
Good morning, Washington. Have you recovered from yesterday's local sports emotional rollercoaster yet? The Nationals bid farewell to RFK, and managed to close out their time there with a 5-3 victory over the Phillies. The Redskins, on the other hand, well ... we might still not be ready to talk about that last drive. Yet despite the despondent football fans across the region this morning, we get the sense that no one is sadder than the residents of the 1300 block of Irving St. NW in Columbia Heights, who recently said goodbye to Gus, the official neighborhood cat, by building a makeshift memorial.
MPD to be Restructured: Police Chief Cathy Lanier will announce a complete reorganization of the MPD today, a move which will effectively dismantle the structure put in place by her mentor, Charles Ramsey. The changes will reduce the number of senior officers from eight to six and streamline the command of all patrol units. The Washington Post is focusing on how the restructuring will reduce the number of African Americans in senior positions.
Convention Center Hotel Still in the Works: After initial reports that long-planned Convention Center hotel deal had fallen apart completely, Mayor Fenty plans to swoop in this morning with an announcement that he has a proposal to save the hotel. Late on Friday the Mayor's office announced they had come to an agreement with Marriott for a smaller hotel than had originally been planned, and Fenty will be out at 9th & L Streets NW this morning to talk more about the deal with the press. We wonder what OffSeventh will have to say.
Briefly Noted: D.C. Jail guard arrested in smuggling probe ... Stolen vehicle leads to police chase in Alexandria ... D.C. inmates could be released at all hours ... Home in Adelphi lost to explosion ... Bloomingdale's set to open in Friendship Heights.
Photo by erin*carly
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So, uh...
What happened to Gus the Cat? Old age? FIV? Hit by a car?
At least the cat was well-loved by so many strangers...
According to the sign, he was 16ish years old. I guess the old fart deserved a break, after policing the block for so long... I don't know much about cat-longetivity, but it sure sounds like a good run.
Doesn't MPD get "restructured" with every new police chief? And does it actually have any tangible impact on law enforcement? This sounds like more inhouse politics, like shuffling senior cops from the bad PSAs and replacing them with rookies.
I Can Has Hevun?
A convention center hotel for a convention center that was outdated the day it opened and that has been a total flop. Marriott's got to be getting heavy subsidies on this one.
I am hijacking this post to comment about taxicabs in DC. I rarely ride taxis but this weekend I had to make use of them and three out of four times, the driver tried to overcharge me! The first time I wasn't paying attention but I called the drivers on it on the other two times.
Is this common these days? When I first moved here in 2001, I don't remember ever being overcharged. Now it seems like the drivers are trying to take advantage by tacking on a dollar or two to the fare.
There are two neighbor kitties on my block in NE: a gray tabby and a black cat who likes to curl up in my vegetable garden. Since I can't have cats in my home (allergic fiance), it's kind of nice to see them make the neighborhood a little more fun and charming. And keep the uh, rodents at bay....
R.I.P., Gus.
Are you including the $1 gas surcharge cabbies are apparently allowed these days? Or is that still in effect? I get charged for it sometimes, but sometimes no. It's very confusing.
Well, one driver tried to tack on a "late night" service fee of $1. I said, no, I am not paying that. I know there is $1 rush hour fee but there is no such thing as a late night fee.
The second driver's amount was just so random that I knew it was wrong.